Death Eater One-Shots
by RidetheRain
Summary: A collection of one-shots for various Death Eater pairings. Humanizing the enemy to the point of romantic sadness. Sometimes the bad guys are people too.


Lucius X Narcissa

There was little the guards left him after processing. His wand was gone of course. That was taken at the Ministry straight away and probably locked away in some vault of wizardless wands. He was neutered without his wand and they knew it, so the Aurors took his robes and his comfortable boots made from the finest leather and his custom-made blackwood cane. He wouldn't be seeing those again for certain. But for some reason, he was allowed a small square of canvas with a beautiful young face. It was the photograph he carried with him always and it was old and worn to the point that the features of the young woman's face were no longer clear and the delicate curl of her white-blond hair was entirely lost.

He said goodnight aloud to the photograph. The guards jeered.

 _Sometimes late at night_

 _I lie awake and watch her sleeping_

 _She's lost in peaceful dreams_

 _So I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark_

 _And the thought crosses my mind_

 _If I never wake up in the morning_

 _Would she ever doubt the way I feel_

 _About her in my heart_

She was beautiful in the photograph. It was taken just before their wedding so that he could recognize his bride. He had never been a particularly emotional man and as a boy was barely interested in the examples that passed for the fairer sex at Hogwarts. He did not smile often enough and was uncomfortably formal. But this little piece of canvas with its delicate lines of paint enraptured him the moment he saw it. Love at first sight is ridiculous and a fantasy, but he first loved her as a possession that must be protected and preserved.

True love had come later. He had watched her with her demure lashes fixed on the ground as the marriage ropes were knotted around their clasped hands. She was as formal and stiff as he was in this most public of meetings. He had pressed a chaste and cold kiss on the corner of her mouth to seal their marriage vows. It was torture to be so observed.

They were not alone until near dawn. Between the wedding proper, the required society affectations, and secret family rituals there had not been a single moment without onlookers. He was exhausted and slowly lowered himself onto the bed with a straight back and kicked out a foot for the suddenly-there elf.

"Get out."

The elf popped out of existence before Lucius could disagree. After the long day and the uncomfortable stares he was cross and unready to go without comfort. But he was raised to be a formal and quiet man so he simply picked up where the elf had left off - letting the heavy boot drop to the ground loudly. The noise was his only show of intemperance.

"Husband." When he looked up he saw that she had not moved a muscle since the door had closed behind her. She could not have looked more different than the demure girl he had only hours ago married.

"Wife."

"I will not be your subordinate for the rest of my life." Her voice was firm and certain.

"You are my wife."

"I am."

It was settled. He fell in love with his wife at that moment. It had not taken as long as he expected. They finished getting undressed and fairly fell into bed. Additional words were not required.

 _If tomorrow never comes_

 _Will she know how much I loved her_

 _Did I try in every way to show her every day_

 _That she's my only one_

 _And if my time on earth were through_

 _And she must face this world without me_

 _Is the love I gave her in the past_

 _Gonna be enough to last_

 _If tomorrow never comes_

Narcissa was never one for displays of affection. Her love was shown through observation and enviable social skills. His papers stacked carefully on the edge of the desk. A turn of the head and subtle conversation change when he begins to tire. The effortless bending and turning to create a world where everything he touches is golden. And the clear affection for their miracle child.

His love was harder to see but no less heartfelt. He hoped she knew and understood the depth of his affection. He worked late on causes that she showed interest in and procured any treasure in the hope of seeing a fraction of delight on her stoic face. A momentary flicker in her guarded eyes when she opened a rare book would put him in a good mood for days.

 _'Cause I've lost loved ones in my life_

 _Who never knew how much I loved them_

 _Now I live with the regret_

 _That my true feelings for them never were revealed_

 _So I made a promise to myself_

 _To say each day how much she means to me_

 _And avoid that circumstance_

 _Where there's no second chance to tell her how I feel_

If you looked carefully and watched her closely as he often did, happiness was easy to identify. The girl on the canvas was happy. You could tell by the way her shoulders were relaxed and the slight drop to her jaw where she was smiling behind blank lips.

Sadness was impossible to see. When they lost their first child, their tiny, perfect daughter, she was no different than the day prior when they were picking out names. She did not hide from the knowledge, nor did she seem to be affected by it.

Instead, he recognized her sadness by the gentle tremble of her hand when she told him she was pregnant.

His son lived and he did not see her tremble again until a year ago during a quiet dinner at home.

He had suddenly stood like he had so many times before. But this was different because it had been so long. Her fork did not cease as it travelled towards her lips, but it shook every so slightly.

"I will return when I can." He used the same measured tone he did every time he left the manor.

"I will be waiting." Her reply was as common as his farewell.

 _If tomorrow never comes_

 _Will she know how much I loved her_

 _Did I try in every way to show her every day_

 _That she's my only one_

 _And if my time on earth were through_

 _And she must face this world without me_

 _Is the love I gave her in the past_

 _Gonna be enough to last_

 _If tomorrow never comes_

 _So tell that someone that you love_

 _Just what you're thinking of_

 _If tomorrow never comes_

He has never once, in all his life, told her he loves her.


End file.
